Author:  D. Mercer Affiliation:  Independent Researcher Abstract Economics is often introduced to students through formulas, models, and exam-focused summaries. While these tools are useful, they can make the field appear narrower than it really is. Economics is not only about prices, markets, inflation, or growth. It is also about power, institutions, inequality, labor, culture, development, technology, and the social meanings attached to value. For this reason, students nee